Lieutenant Governor Davis Highlights 2026-27 Budget Investments to Reduce Violence and Keep Kids and Communities Safe

POTTSTOWN, PA – Today, Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis held a roundtable discussion at the YWCA Tri-County Area (YWCA) to highlight how the Shapiro-Davis Administration's 2026-27 budget continues to invest in community-based violence prevention and out-of-school programs that are helping to reduce crime and keep kids and communities safe.

“I’m proud to say I was a Club Kid, spending most afternoons at our local Boys & Girls Club, so I understand how important it is for young people to have safe places they can go to learn and grow,” said Lt. Gov. Davis, chair of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). “Violent crime is down statewide since Governor Shapiro and I took office because we're taking a comprehensive approach to making our communities safer — supporting law enforcement, investing in community-led prevention efforts, caring for victims, and addressing the root causes of violence. Our 2026-27 state budget continues investments in organizations like those who are sitting around this table with me today, so we can keep making progress, because even one life lost to gun violence is one too many.”

YWCA Tri-County Area recently received a $500,000 Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) grant from PCCD to launch a youth-led, violence prevention out of school program for middle school students that elevates their safety concerns and empowers them to help prevent violence in their schools and communities. This year, the YWCA also received Substance Abuse Education and Demand Reduction (SAEDR) funding from PCCD to launch a new series of prevention-focused early childhood and family wellness programs.

"YWCA, alongside our valued partners, prioritizes our obligation and privilege to support thriving communities where everyone can learn, work, live, and play safely,” said Kelly Grosser, YWCA Tri-County Area CEO. “We are proud to offer proven, prevention-based programming in Montgomery, Chester, and Berks counties to strengthen the safety net and enhance opportunities for growth and exploration with children, youth, and caregivers. We're deeply honored and proud to be entrusted with the stewardship of this critical project for prevention on behalf of the Commonwealth." 

The roundtable brought together public safety partners in the area involved in the YWCA’s prevention programming, Pottstown School District, The STRIVE Initiative, and recent VIP grant recipients: ACLAMO, Resilience Resource Center, Trellis for Tomorrow, and victim service provider Laurel House. 

Since 2023, PCCD has awarded over $57 million in grant funding across Montgomery County, including over $6.8 million for 16 VIP and BOOST grant projects. 

“In Pottstown Borough, serious crime is down 30 percent over the last 10 years,” said state Rep. Joe Ciresi. “That doesn't just happen by accident. It takes coordination and commitment from neighborhood organizations like the YWCA Tri-County and ACLAMO. This work is enhanced through significant support from the Legislature, Shapiro-Davis Administration, and the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. When we invest in our neighborhoods, block-by-block, we can transform lives.”

Last month, Davis toured the Citizen Science Lab’s summer programming, also supported by VIP funding, and highlighted the Administration's continued investments in community safety initiatives that are helping drive violent crime down across Pennsylvania. 

For the fourth year in a row, the Shapiro-Davis Administration’s 2026-27 budget makes major investments to strengthen public safety. Since taking office, the Shapiro-Davis Administration has provided more than $1 billion in funding through approximately 6,700 PCCD grants across Pennsylvania, helping drive violent crime down 16 percent statewide. The budget includes new and continued funding to make Pennsylvania’s communities safer, including:

• More than $50 million for the VIP program, which drives dollars out to community-based organizations to reduce gun violence;

• $11.5 million for the Building Opportunities through Out-of-School Time (BOOST) initiative to keep kids safe, supported, and engaged in afterschool and summer programming;

• $16.2 million in funding to train four additional Pennsylvania State Police cadet classes;

• More than $100 million in school safety and mental health funding for K–12 schools and $20 million for nonpublic schools, municipalities, law enforcement agencies, and approved school security personnel providers to improve security; 

• $10 million for nonprofit and faith-based organizations to combat hate crimes by enhancing the security measures at their facilities;

• $7.5 million to ensure public defenders have the resources they need to provide legal representation to defendants who cannot pay for it on their own; 

• $2.5 million to establish a new grant program supporting law enforcement agencies with the tools and resources they need to improve clearance rates for homicides and other violent crimes;

• $4.5 million to support victims and survivors in the aftermath of crime through the Victims Compensation Assistance Program (VCAP); and

• A $12 million increase for rape crisis centers across the Commonwealth — the largest increase in history and nearly doubling their overall support. The Governor visited a rape crisis center to talk about the investment.